Knowing You'll Be There
by goldengreaser
Summary: 25 years to the day his best friend died Steve Randle has a talk with him.One-shot


**Disclaimer- I do not own **_**The Outsiders © SE**_** Hinton**__**or **_**Knowing You'll Be There**_** © Guy Penrod. Remember even on this Valentine's Day not all love is romantic. Sometimes the deepest love we feel is for those around us, our friends and family that care for us and we do for them in return.**

**September 24 ,1993**

This area of the graveyard was almost always empty, save for holidays. It was old and decayed, almost creepy that time of morning. Steve Randle sighed as he pulled his truck over to the side of the road and entered the gates, a bundle of flowers in hand.

It wasn't a long walk to that row of graves but Steve mused that it felt like century getting there. Sighing he walked to plot 968 and got down on his knees. He gingerly dusted off leaves and dirt off of the simple stone.

Sodapop Patrick Curtis

October 8th 1949- September 24th 1968

Loving son, brother and friend

Steve sat down the flowers and sighed. "Hey buddy. It's been awhile, hasn't it.?" Steve sighed, as if he had expected his long dead friend to speak back to him. "I've missed you. I thought I'd come before Darry got his chance, early bird gets the worm."

_The other day I passed the place you always liked to go, and I picked up the phone because I thought you'd want to know. But I forgot you weren't there I miss you all these days that I'm reminded of your smile and the funny things you'd say._

Steve closed his eyes and gave another sigh. "It's the little things you know. Like the other day I was taking Codie out for some ice-cream. We passed the DX station. Codie pointed it out to me. She asked if it was the one we used to work at. I told her yes. You should have seen it Soda. It was all torn up and condemned. I blinked for just a second and I could swear I saw us standing there. It was like new again.

We were talking and laughing. I think you had just told me one of those stories of your or a joke. You always could make me laugh. And you were smiling that big goofy smile. You know the one that made all of us want to smile back. It never failed, not once."

Tears began to fall and Steve's shoulders shook violently. "Your boy, Shayne. He has the same smile you know. The first time I saw him it liked to kill me. He's so much like you…."

_. I miss you most at Christmas, you were like a little kid. You always loved a good surprise and now I must admit. That I long more for heaven than I ever did before, you give me one more reason and each day I wanted more._

The wind blew harder. "He's coming for Christmas this year with his fiancé. He was here last year you know. He's so much like Ponyboy but then he reminded me of you. He was so happy and goofy. When it came time to open presents he could barley hold his excitement. Just like you always were, remember? I remember that last one in 67. We hadn't shipped of yet, not even been drafted. We were all in a rut.

Christmas seemed hard without your folks or Johnny or Dallas But you, you went around singing and dancing. You wouldn't shut up. I was so embarrassed, not anymore though. I miss it. Somehow you always were like a big kid. I never thought you'd grow up but I never thought it would be literal you know?"

_You left a group of fisherman, somehow you left me too. Though I have felt you many times, and though you saw me through. I've always longed to feel your arms and look into your eyes and talk together me and you somewhere in paradise_

The sun began to shine warmly on Steve's back. He bit his lip. "It doesn't hurt so bad, like it did at first. I couldn't handle it you know? The heroine I thought it would help but it didn't. I was so high or wasted drunk most of the time it made it worse. I just wanted to forget. But the flashbacks, the stupors; that wasn't living, that wasn't forgetting,

Now all I want to do is to see you. I want to hang out with you and us talk again. Don't get me wrong, your brothers have been great. Your family has been wonderful to me but they aren't you, even if your son looks the part. There are times when I just want to hear your laugh or have you sling an arm over my shoulder again.

For the longest time I ignored it or tried to, I'm okay now though. I'm put together. I can remember and it doesn't kill me so much. It hurt but it's also numb. I'll see again, just not here. Then you can pick at me for being an old geezer."

By now the sun was shining warmer and brighter then before. It hit right on Steve's shoulders and back like a blanket. "I'm glad I can still talk to you Soda. You'd never call me a pansy. Even now it's so easy to just tell you all this. I can't wait to do it for real."

With that Steve Randle stood up and walked to his truck. He didn't hear the wind whisper softly 'Don't make it too soon Stevie."

**A.N- **Hopefully not ooc. Every time I here this song it makes me think of Steve. So finally I wrote this. Please be honest with me about it, remembering that Soda knew Steve better then anyone. I always figured Steve was open with him.


End file.
